Mehbooba should think before making statement: Gupta

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Feb 1: Expressing surprise over the unpalatable remarks of Mehbooba Mufti against the opponents of Article 370 of the Constitution, the former Union Minister, Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta advised the CM to think twice before making any such like controversial observations as she was holding the office of Chief Minister of a State which is a most sensitive part of the country.
Prof. Gupta pointed out that on the very face of it the Article 370 is a temporary provision but it was unfortunate that this still existed in the statue book even after 68 years of its incorporation amongst many controversies. The then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru had assured the great nationalist Moulana Mohani and other agitated members that this was a “temporary measure and it would wither away with the passage of time (Ghiste Ghiste Ghis Jaiegi).”
He said that since then there had been a lot of changes and many signs of separatism have been removed but still much remains to be rectified to put the State at par with other parts.
Prof. Gupta who is an Author of a book ” Article 370- A Thorn”, observed that no other provision of the Constitution has been so controversial as this one and many great patriotic leaders including Dr. Shayama Prasad Mookerjee, Pandit Prem Nath Dogra, Atal Behari Vajpayee and so many others had struggled hard to get rid of this provision which smacks of secessionism and encourage separatism.